Narrative:

Inbound to iah airport, we developed what eventually turned into a medical emergency. About 30-40 mi outside daisetta VOR on descent, a flight attendant came to the cockpit to advise us that a female passenger had fainted. She said that a paramedic was attending the passenger (the paramedic happened to be on board as another passenger). The passenger had regained consciousness and was apparently stable and that there was probably no cause for concern at this point. The paramedic thought she was having an allergic reaction to a medication she was taking. A few mins later, the flight attendant came back to report that the woman was getting worse and looked terrible. The paramedic had decided to administer oxygen, which seemed to help briefly, but then she worsened. The paramedic now requested medical help to meet the flight at the gate. We called company operations by radio and gave them all information we had and requested medical help. As we were approaching daisetta VOR, the flight attendant came back again, quite concerned. She reported that things were rapidly deteriorating. The paramedic, she said, 'really looks worried' and that the woman's pulse was down to 40 and respirations were very slow and very shallow and the woman was only semi-conscious. The paramedic told her to tell us that it was now very important that we be met by a qualified medical team or doctor with ambulance. We were getting into a very busy time of the flight preparing for approach and since that's where our attention had to be, we didn't have the time to try to communication further with the paramedic about the degree of urgency and decided we would declare a medical emergency and request special handling to expedite approach. We advised ATC we would like to keep speed up for a while after descending below 10000 MSL and they responded with simply a 'roger.' we kept up speed until approaching lateral limits of TCA, then began slowing. There was no way to be sure, but we felt there was a real threat to this passenger's life. I was concerned about the possibility of cardiac arrest. The concern seemed reasonable to us under the circumstances and the speed under 10000 was, we felt, justified. The condition turned out to be an allergic reaction to medication, just as the paramedic had suspected. The woman was admitted to the hospital, treated, and was released the following day. The visibility was excellent, and during the time under 10000 MSL with the speed above 250 KTS, good communication and extreme vigilance were maintained for traffic. After slowing, a normal approach and landing were made. The captain submitted a written report of the incident to the company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SPD DEV REQUESTED BY ACR MLG FLC DURING MEDICAL EMER DECLARED.

Narrative: INBOUND TO IAH ARPT, WE DEVELOPED WHAT EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO A MEDICAL EMER. ABOUT 30-40 MI OUTSIDE DAISETTA VOR ON DSCNT, A FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO ADVISE US THAT A FEMALE PAX HAD FAINTED. SHE SAID THAT A PARAMEDIC WAS ATTENDING THE PAX (THE PARAMEDIC HAPPENED TO BE ON BOARD AS ANOTHER PAX). THE PAX HAD REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS AND WAS APPARENTLY STABLE AND THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN AT THIS POINT. THE PARAMEDIC THOUGHT SHE WAS HAVING AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO A MEDICATION SHE WAS TAKING. A FEW MINS LATER, THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME BACK TO RPT THAT THE WOMAN WAS GETTING WORSE AND LOOKED TERRIBLE. THE PARAMEDIC HAD DECIDED TO ADMINISTER OXYGEN, WHICH SEEMED TO HELP BRIEFLY, BUT THEN SHE WORSENED. THE PARAMEDIC NOW REQUESTED MEDICAL HELP TO MEET THE FLT AT THE GATE. WE CALLED COMPANY OPS BY RADIO AND GAVE THEM ALL INFO WE HAD AND REQUESTED MEDICAL HELP. AS WE WERE APCHING DAISETTA VOR, THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME BACK AGAIN, QUITE CONCERNED. SHE RPTED THAT THINGS WERE RAPIDLY DETERIORATING. THE PARAMEDIC, SHE SAID, 'REALLY LOOKS WORRIED' AND THAT THE WOMAN'S PULSE WAS DOWN TO 40 AND RESPIRATIONS WERE VERY SLOW AND VERY SHALLOW AND THE WOMAN WAS ONLY SEMI-CONSCIOUS. THE PARAMEDIC TOLD HER TO TELL US THAT IT WAS NOW VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE BE MET BY A QUALIFIED MEDICAL TEAM OR DOCTOR WITH AMBULANCE. WE WERE GETTING INTO A VERY BUSY TIME OF THE FLT PREPARING FOR APCH AND SINCE THAT'S WHERE OUR ATTN HAD TO BE, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO TRY TO COM FURTHER WITH THE PARAMEDIC ABOUT THE DEGREE OF URGENCY AND DECIDED WE WOULD DECLARE A MEDICAL EMER AND REQUEST SPECIAL HANDLING TO EXPEDITE APCH. WE ADVISED ATC WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP SPD UP FOR A WHILE AFTER DSNDING BELOW 10000 MSL AND THEY RESPONDED WITH SIMPLY A 'ROGER.' WE KEPT UP SPD UNTIL APCHING LATERAL LIMITS OF TCA, THEN BEGAN SLOWING. THERE WAS NO WAY TO BE SURE, BUT WE FELT THERE WAS A REAL THREAT TO THIS PAX'S LIFE. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CARDIAC ARREST. THE CONCERN SEEMED REASONABLE TO US UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE SPD UNDER 10000 WAS, WE FELT, JUSTIFIED. THE CONDITION TURNED OUT TO BE AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO MEDICATION, JUST AS THE PARAMEDIC HAD SUSPECTED. THE WOMAN WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL, TREATED, AND WAS RELEASED THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE VISIBILITY WAS EXCELLENT, AND DURING THE TIME UNDER 10000 MSL WITH THE SPD ABOVE 250 KTS, GOOD COM AND EXTREME VIGILANCE WERE MAINTAINED FOR TFC. AFTER SLOWING, A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WERE MADE. THE CAPT SUBMITTED A WRITTEN RPT OF THE INCIDENT TO THE COMPANY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.